The Mysterious Eyes
by Grath Longrudder
Summary: This was a school assignment where we had to write a short story using our spelling words. There is not a lot of killing because my L.A. teacher would kill me!


The Mysterious Eyes  
  
  
Martin the Warrior sat at the table in the Great Hall of Redwall Abbey listening to Abbess Germaine saying grace. When she gave the signal, the Midwinter Feast would begin.  
  
Nuts and berries,  
Tubers, roots,  
From out orchard, sweet, ripe fruit,  
Silver fish who's life we take,  
Only for a meal to make.  
  
Recited the frail old mouse. As she gave the signal to begin, Martin got up and helped her into the huge chair behind her. When he sat down again, his best friend Gonff Prince of Mousetheives, elbowed him playfully in the ribs, making his face turn red. "Hey matey, look over there!" Martin looked in the direction of the steaming cauldron on the table. "Mmmm! Abbess Germaine's specialty, spring vegetable soup! Maybe I'll have some in a moment, if you haven't scoffed it all by then." Gonff's was a picture of comic dismay. "And prithee sah, why would I do that?" " 'Cause yore an ol' windbag!" yelled the Skipper of Otters from the other side of the table. "Take that back you ol' streamdog!" Gonff yelled at him. Gonff liked to call everyone his 'matey' like the otters whom he greatly admired. Martin got up and went to the end of the table and sat in a vacant seat next to his badger friend Bella. "My friend," he said to the large silver-furred badger "You have been worried all night. Am I correct?" Bella looked astonished. "Ho- how did you know?" she stammered. "You have been looking thoughtful and discouraged. Is there something you aren't telling us?" he asked suspiciously. Bella looked slightly guilty. She turned to the Abbess. "Marm, may Martin and I be excused for a moment?" The Abbess looked at her quizzically. "What, and miss all the fun? Oh alright, get on with it you two party-poopers." she said. Martin and Bella hurried off to the cellars, where Bella looked around cautiously before closing the door. "Okay Martin" Bella began, "You can't tell anyone about this, not even the Abbess. I will tell her when the time is right. Only you and I know about this until I am ready to reveal the information. This morning I was out in Mossflower Woods collecting herbs for the infirmary when I came upon a vermin camp. There were scores of the creatures: rats, ferrets, stoats, weasles and such. But the leader of the horde was the one that almost scared me, and you know I am not easily scared. The leader of the horde was a large Siamese cat. However, this was no ordinary cat, believe me. Siamese cats are known for their bright blue eyes, but this one had purple eyes. Like twin amethysts set into her face. I heard a rat call her something like Her Majesty Queen Amethyst. That's probably how she got her name." Martin, who had been silent throughout the story, stayed silent, deep in thought. He was completely shocked. "How far are they from the Abbey?" he asked. "That's why I didn't wan't to tell anyone else. They are less than two days from Redwall. There was a sharp intake of breath from Martin, and then nothing. Martin had gone to his room in the upper dormitories. How long he lay in bed, Martin did not know, but eventually Gonff brought him some scones, a portion of fish, and a flask of strawberry cordial. Martin ate slowly, stealing a glance at Gonff. "How little he knows" Martin thought to himself "I wonder what he would be doing if he knew what was happening out in Mossflower right now." The next day at lunch, Bella came up to Martin and told him to break the news to everyone because she couldn't. When Martin stood upon the table, the whole Hall went quiet. "Redwallers! I have some very disturbing news! While Bella was gathering herbs in the woods, she stumbled upon a vermin camp." at this everyone began to talk. Some were disbelieving. "Thats impossible! There haven't been any vermin in Mossflower since the days of Tsarmina!" Others were skeptical. "Huh, it's probably an imaginary horde of flying pigs!" at this last comment, Martin lost it. "Hey! Redwallers! You have to face the facts. There is a vermin horde out there, and they are less than two days from here!" As Martin said this, Abbess Germaine fainted clean away. As Gonff, Bella, and several other Abbeydwellers hurried to revive her. Martin was looking at the ceiling guiltily, but soon got over it and went to help out. As soon as she was okay again, the Abbess gave out orders for sentries to be posted on the walltops. While everyone else was doing their own daily chores, Germaine chose a special band of warriors including the Skipper of Otters and his crew, Lady Amber and her band of squirrel-archers, Martin, Gonff, Young Dinny who was the Foremole, and of course,Bella. These were her instructions: Gonff, take Skipper and his crew to the south side of the camp. Bella will give everyone directions. Foremole Dinny, go with Lady Amber and her archers to the North side. Martin and Bella, you two are strong enough that you can each have a side, one East and one West." Everyone nodded, then went to get their cloaks. Moments later, the gathered again in the Hall. "Everybeast, listen up! I am giving out directions!" Bella roared. "The vermin camp is relatively easy to find. You just walk to the tree-topped oak tree, and walk West for a short time. Martin, I have decided that you are to take East and I will take West. Okay?" Martin nodded his agreement. They stepped outside, enjoying the afternoon that would undoubtedly be shattered in about two days. They headed toward their assigned areas dreading what was to come. Stopping at the three-topped oak, the warriors turned West and kept walking. Soon through the trees, multiple campfires could be seen, for it was now dark. "They must be really brave to light fires in an unknown area at night." Bella whispered to Martin. Once again, Martin only nodded, while clutching his magnificent sword that was the most prized possetion of the Abbey. Suddenly, He gasped. A huge siamese cat was seen walking out of a nearby tent. Martin's stomach seemed to have plummeted into his feet. The cat's eyes almost held him in a trance. "You numbskulls!" the cat hissed. "Get those fires out before someone sees them!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. All of the vermin scrambled to do her bidding saying "Yes Queen Blue-Eyes!" Martin and the others had heard enough to make their decision. "Redwall!" yelled Martin, and that was the signal. Every group charged into the horde. Of course, being the coward she was, Amethyst stayed towards the back and urged everyone in front of her. The attack was a successful hit and run. They had slain about a fourth of their number without losing even one. By the time they had run full speed back to the Abbey, Martin noticed that Skipper's face was a picture of pain. Then he saw it. Skipper's right shoulder was stained crimson. It had been pierced by an enemy sword, but not deep. Martin helped him up to the infirmary where he was treated by Abbess Germaine herself. "Hmmm... not a deep wound. Could use a little Motherwort, and maybe a soft moss poultice..." she mumbled to herself. Skipper nodded to Martin and he walked out of the room leaving a wincing otter and a grumpy Abbess. "Hold still you big baby!" Germaine said to Skipper. Martin went to the Battlements to savor the taste of victory, but now all he could taste was fear. There was a dustcloud rising on the dirt path in the distance. There was no doubt that it was Queen Amethyst coming for revenge. The Queen herself was nervous, seeing the fearsome figure on the Battlements. Come on you fools! She yowled, "If I catch you dillydallying, you know what will happen!" All of a sudden, the rats around her had started moving faster because they knew what the penalty was, death at the claws of their Queen! Once again on the Battlements, Martin was holding a conference with the warrior group. The horde was now taking shelter in the ditch on the side of the path. They were setting up makeshift tents and preparing for a long stay. Queen Amethyst herself went up and knocked on the Abbey gates! When the gate-keeper opened it cautiously, he was gravely injured by the cats long piercing claws. He gave a whimper and fell to the ground, hurt, but not dead. Bella came running across the grounds and tried to knock the cat senseless with her huge paw, but missed. Amethyst was quick on her paws. The Warriors knew that Queen Amethyst was a fool, and she wouldn't expect an attack at night, so that is exactly what the warriors would do. Late that night, the band of warriors took their positions. Lady Amber and her group, along with Foremole Dinny who could shoot an arrow as well as any squirrel, tiptoed past the camp and hid in the trees. All except Dinny, because moles can't climb trees. Martin, Gonff, Skipper and his crew, plus Bella, were all getting ready for the charge. Skipper and his otters all had slings and a short dagger, as did Gonff. Lady Amber and her archers had, naturally, their bows and arrows. Martin had his sword, a sling, and also a small dagger. Checking that he had all of these, he looked up and nodded to Gonff to give the silent signal. Gonff nodded back and shot a flaming arrow into the sky. "Redwall!" yelled Martin at the top of his voice. Inside the Abbey, the yell caused infants to whimper. When they entered the vermin camp, they slayed mercilessly, and soon, they had taken care of all the murderers, except for one. Queen Amethyst was cornered near the wall of the ditch with twelve arrows belonging to the squirrels, pointed at her heart. Martin walked over confidently, and said "Make one move and you will die!" The cat was cringing in the center of a circle of arrows, but she was only pretending. She made a lunge at Martin. She was cunning, but still stupid. Twelve arrows flew straight and true! (Yes I know that phrase came from Mossflower, OK?) Later the next morning, they buried the dead in the ditch. Bella wiped a heavy paw across her striped forehead. "There! We will be rid of them eventually if the ants do their work properly." she said. Everyone cheered. "Hear hear!" they yelled. And that was the end if another perilous battle at Redwall Abbey.  
  
  
Hello! I don't own any characters except Queen Amethyst and her horde. The rest belongs to Brian Jacques. No sue please! 


End file.
